Sarah Tsou
New YorkPortfolio Manager - Global Intellectual Property and Senior Investment Manager
Sarah Tsou is the global head of Omni Bridgeway’s award-winning intellectual property business, overseeing Omni Bridgeway’s IP portfolio and team of dedicated IP professionals.
Chambers has repeatedly recognized Sarah in Band 1 for Litigation Funding (Intellectual Property), noting that she is "one of the genuine superstars in the litigation finance industry” and “a huge asset to Omni’s overall business” who “brings a level of sophistication and business savvy that one rarely sees in the litigation funding industry at this time.” Omni’s IP business is also ranked by Chambers in Band 1 for Intellectual Property. Sarah is described as an “unparalleled leader in the world of litigation finance” by IAM, which has included her in its most prestigious rankings, and has repeatedly been named a Thought Leader by Who’s Who Legal.
Sarah has been invited to speak on litigation funding issues by prominent industry organizations such as the International Legal Finance Association, Federal Circuit Bar Association, Delaware Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, Intellectual Property Owners Association, International Intellectual Property Society, IPWatchdog, and New York City Bar Association. Additionally, she is quoted frequently in publications such as Law360, Bloomberg Law, andManaging IP. She also sits on the Steering Committee of Women of Litigation Finance (WOLF).
Prior to joining the company’s New York office in 2019, Sarah was a partner in the intellectual property practice group at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, focusing on patent litigation. In addition to handling patent disputes spanning a broad range of technologies and industries, she also led trade secret and trademark litigation teams and counseled clients in corporate acquisitions, licensing matters, and other transactions.
Sarah approaches litigation funding deal evaluation and diligence with the expertise of a litigator who has spent over a dozen years representing clients in all aspects of complex litigation from inception to trial. She has advised clients ranging from start-ups to Fortune 100 companies on risk, cost analysis, IP portfolio and market analysis, and strategy, and she understands the factors that companies and law firms weigh when deciding whether to engage in litigation. Her substantial case evaluation and trial experience inform her ability to structure funding deals that allow alignment of risk between all parties to the deal. Having secured significant verdicts and resolutions for clients in industries including computer software, electronics, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, biotechnology, and oilfield services, she offers valuable insights to Omni Bridgeway’s funded clients and their counsel when they need strategic advice during the course of litigation.
Sarah earned her J.D. from New York University School of Law and her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, majoring in both Biology and Psychology and graduating summa cum laude with Highest Honors.
Publications
- Co-Author. USPTO's Proposed Disclaimer Rule Would Harm Inventors. Law360. May 22, 2024.
- How legal finance can help claimants as patent disputes cross borders. Omni Bridgeway Blog. October 21, 2021.
- A Lone Star Opportunity? A New U.S. Epicenter for Patent Claims. Omni Bridgeway Blog. April 7, 2021.
- Litigation Finance for IP Cases. Bloomberg Law. August 2020.
- Do Operating Companies Have A Better Shot at IP Litigation Funding? The Answer May Surprise You. Omni Bridgeway Blog. July 7, 2020.
- Co-author. Monetizing University Patent Portfolios During the Economic Downturn. University Business. June 22, 2020.
- Co-author. Tech Companies Should Strongly Consider Monetizing Their Patent Portfolios During the Economic Downturn. IPWatchdog. June 8, 2020.
Press
- Judge’s Litigation Funding Probe Reveals IP Edge’s Human Toll. Bloomberg Law. December 4, 2023.
- Effort and objectivity will help secure backing, funders tell firms. Managing IP. October 23, 2023.
- Funders juggle more opportunities in life sciences. Managing IP. July 21, 2023.
- Kappos at PTAB Masters 2023: The PTAB Simply ‘Hasn’t Worked Out’ as Intended. IPWatchdog. February 1, 2023.
- Six IP litigation funding trends to watch in 2023. Managing IP. December 22, 2022.
- A More Rational Approach. LINE. Winter 2022/23.
- Global Portfolio Manager for IP, Sarah Tsou, Discusses Preserving Value When Funding IP Litigation. Managing IP. October 5, 2022
- Omni Bridgeway Grows US Presence In NY, DC And Midwest. Law360 Pulse. October 4, 2022.
- How to stop a funded IP case from falling apart. Managing IP. September 28, 2022.
- Litigation funders eye European growth. Managing IP. August 25, 2022.
- Albright sideline dulls allure (and fear) of Texas court: in-house. Managing IP. July 29, 2022.
- Why Delaware's order to disclose litigation funding matters. Managing IP. April 27, 2022.
- Litigation funders see ‘huge and sustained uptick’ in IP business. Managing IP. March 13, 2022.
- How Firms Can Improve Their Chances For Litigation Funding. Law360 Pulse. February 10, 2022.
- BigLaw Attys Clamor To Snap Up Litigation Funding Jobs. Law360 Pulse. April 20, 2021.
- Litigators reveal how they get record patent damages. Managing IP. April 7, 2021.
- Six factors litigation funders consider for patent cases. Managing IP. March 18, 2021
- Bentham Adds Attys From Sidley Austin, Kirkland In NY. Law360. February 1, 2019.
- In Latest Expansion, Bentham IMF Adds Ex-Kirkland, Sidley Partners. Law.com. January 29, 2019
- Solving for PTAB Risk: A Litigation Funding Perspective. Fourth Annual PTAB Masters. IPWatchdog. January 30, 2024. Ashburn, VA.
- Litigation Funding Revealed. RPX Webinar Reboot. October 4, 2023. Webinar.
- Intellectual Property: Litigation Finance—A Changing Landscape. District of Delaware: 2023 Bench & Bar Conference. Delaware Chapter of the Federal Bar Association. September 21, 2023. Wilmington, DE.
- Patent Litigation Funding: Evaluating and Formulating Assertion and Monetization Strategies. IPWatchdog Patent Litigation Masters. May 16, 2023. Ashburn, VA.
- Litigation Funding Revealed. RPX Spring Conference. May 11, 2023. Menlo Park, CA.
- The UPC and How Litigation Funding Can Support Your Patent Enforcement Strategy. Chambers and Partners. March 22, 2023. Webinar.
- Evaluating the PTAB Threat to Formulate Patent Assertion and Funding Strategies. IPWatchdog PTAB Masters. January 31, 2023. Ashburn, VA.
- Setting up an Efficient and Effective Affirmative Litigation Strategy. International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) Annual Conference. October 24, 2022. New York, NY.
- Litigation Funding and Costs (Ethics). Federal Circuit Bar Association Bench and Bar Conference. June 17, 2022. Sea Island, GA.
- When Money Meets IP - What Funding is Available for IP Strategies? Managing IP Intellectual Property and Innovation Summit. May 24, 2022. New York, NY.
- PTAB as the First Hurdle to Patent Monetization: How Patent Owners and Litigation Financers Deal With This Omnipresent Threat. IPWatchdog. January 24, 2022. Virtual Event.
- Navigating the Ethics of Litigation Finance. New York City Bar Association CLE Program. January 21, 2022. Webinar.
- Finance for Intellectual Property Disputes. Chambers and Partners. November 23, 2021. Webinar.
- Advanced Commercial Litigation Funding: Special Considerations for Your Practice Group. UT Law CLE. October 21, 2021. Webinar.
- Litigation Finance: The Don’ts & Don’ts. IMN Financing, Structuring and Investing in Litigation Finance. September 13, 2021. New York, NY.
- Fundamentals of Intellectual Property. Lecturer, Rutgers Master of Business and Science. July 6, 2021.
- It takes a village: Monetizing the full value of intellectual property. World IP Forum. April 26, 2021. Virtual Event.
- Navigating the Ethics of Litigation Finance. New York City Bar Association CLE Program. January 22, 2021. Webinar.
- Litigation Funding 2.0: A Rapidly Evolving Landscape. IP Dealmakers. December 8, 2020. Virtual Event.
- Litigation Finance. SAS Forum on NPE Litigation. December 3, 2020. Virtual Event.
- Litigation Funding and Investors Rights. Federal Circuit Bar Association Bench and Bar Virtual Conference. June 16, 2020. Webinar.
- Sarah Tsou – Patent Litigation Funding. IPWatchdog, Inc. Clause 8 Podcast. June 4, 2020. New York, NY.
- Intellectual Property and Commercial Litigation Funding: Ethical Considerations. International Intellectual Property Society CLE Program. February 5, 2020. New York, NY.
- Navigating the Ethics of Litigation Finance. New York City Bar Association CLE Program. January 24, 2020. New York, NY.
- Investors Roundtable: Is Litigation Finance Driving Deals? 6th Annual IP Dealmakers Forum. November 13, 2019. New York, NY.
- Litigation Finance. Exploring Significant Trends and Developments. The Knowledge Group Webinar. October 21, 2019. Webcast.
- Ethics: Litigation Funding. Intellectual Property Owners Association Annual Meeting. September 26, 2019. Washington DC.
- Key Litigation Finance Strategies for Patent Practitioners. Practicing Law Institute. June 20, 2019. Studio Briefing.
